


images

by poalimal



Category: Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Drabble, Dubious Consent, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 10:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15022832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poalimal/pseuds/poalimal
Summary: Grief can make you do some funny things. Like-- travel a few galaxies in search of some ghosts. As an example.





	images

 

They track him down in _Osir_ , impossibly, of all godforsaken places, how'd a tightass from Brooklyn like _Steve_ end up casually hiding out on a hostile alien planet?

He doesn't want to talk to any of them. Of course he doesn't.

'I think this-- atmosphere might be harder on my lungs than it is on yours,' Tony observes, from beneath the clunkiest-looking helmet he's ever worn. It's not his greatest look, is the point.

Normally, Thor says there's a-- some kind of compression drink the locals give out to welcome guests. Turns your guts to soup. Helps you breathe, incidentally, if you don't normally drink in copper particles for sport and health. 'Course, you need to make friends to get a hold of it, and they all traded a few too many favours to even get here to assume making friends was ever in the cards for them. Thor's ceremonial title is the greatest currency they have. So, not worth much. Half of their party is actually being held hostage in some glass-sand dungeon right this fucking second, and if Tony can't get eyes on Rhodey in the next fifteen fucking minutes, he is actually going to suffocate to death.

So, yeah. They're not welcome here.

 _Steve_ , on the other hand: he's not wearing a helmet. He's breathing in just fine. Isn't looking at Tony, either - he's looking behind him when he thinks Tony doesn't notice, over his shoulder.

Tony hasn't felt blindingly angry like this in a while. The bright-edged clarity, the feeling like everything is falling apart all over again, that nothing can be done to fix it ever again. So that's great fun. He hears The Voice, _I just wanted to help_ , and this time it makes him angrier, instead of calming him down. Like, really? Really. This catatonic motherfucker is really just gonna stand here, literal lightyears! from Earth, and act like he owes them all-- _nothing_. It's like he's got to always make himself out to be the only one. Well, guess what, pal?

'You're not the only one,' Tony finds himself saying. And still Steve won't look at him.

Beside him, Nat catches her breath. God. Pep's never gonna forgive them for leaving her behind. Tony turns around, sweat sliding down his face so quick it feels like tears.

And there they are.

Big-eyed and barely clothed, crowding up against each other close to stare out the doorway at them all. The taller of the two, dark and lean and beautiful, dips his head at them, bowing maybe?, smiling wide and curious. And between his teeth Tony sees it: the perfect gap.

Tony turns back to Steve quickly, before he can look too closely at the other--alien. Clone. Ghost. Whatever. Bile creeping steadily up his throat. Steve is looking back at him now, finally, with some kind of expression. Tony can't quite recognise it, and he can't quite care. He understands the steeling of Steve's shoulders, though; the miserable, futile hiss Clint makes under his breath.

Great job, Cap, Tony thinks. Always picking fights, even when no one wants to have one.

'Well,' he says, trying to catch his breath. Trying to  _find_ it, first. '--you've made friends.'

 

**Author's Note:**

> I. Wondering if this constitutes any kind of intergalactic sex tourism when Steve is considered Terran filth and has nothing besides his flesh to offer the two Osirans he is at the very least taking emotional advantage of.  
> II. Tony's obviously gonna be Team Stark. It is quite literally his brand.


End file.
